The Shins Wincing The Night Away by: Chris Thompson Fri:02-Feb-07 Label: Sub Pop Year: 2007 WB rating 73 out of 100

It’s supposed to be the second album that’s the difficult one. You know the story – band releases critically acclaimed debut then falls in a screaming heap under the weight of expectation when the dreaded “number two” arrives. Cue disappointing reviews, underwhelming sales, and the tearing up of contracts – and tearing out of record executives’ hair.

Enter The Shins with their sophomore effort, Chutes Too Narrow, and throw out the above script. I’ll spare you most of the details (which you probably already know), but I will say that I was certainly one of the many swooning music lovers that poured rapturous praise upon the album – and it has rarely left the stereo since. Such an album, however, creates as many problems as it solves. It wins more fans, invites more ears and generally means a bigger audience will be awaiting album number three. And of course, when number three eventually comes along, there’ll be more people waiting to tear it down.

So, what’s to make of The Shins’ third long-player, Wincing the Night Away? In a word, difficult. It is almost like the band knew only vaguely where they wanted to go –  as far the hell away from the straight-but-glorious indie-pop of Chutes Too Narrow as possible – and because of this didn’t quite know how to get there. There are undoubtedly moments of brilliance to be found, but unlike Chutes, they aren’t found on every track.

The album starts in a surprisingly understated, almost eerie manner, while somehow remaining upbeat. The opener, ‘Sleeping Lessons’, builds from quiet, effect-laden arpeggios, wrapped in James Mercer’s unmistakable vocals and affecting melodies, to something entirely different – an almost Strokes-ish, chugging rocker. When Mercer, the band’s chief songwriter says, “You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise/See, those unrepenting buzzards want your life/And they got no right”, it is hard not to feel sympathy for the man charged with the responsibility of giving a baying public the album it wants – which is, in essence, his life.

‘Australia’ strays unashamedly into the kind of territory the Shins are expected to occupy: jangly guitars, “la la las” and clever vocal melodies surrounded by thoughtful, but not distracting, instrumentation. A rollicking banjo sits comfortably alongside the twangy lead guitar that permeates much of the track, with both adding to its delightfully upbeat bent. Unsurprisingly, it is a highlight and probably the most instantly engaging song on the album.

After a short and not particularly memorable segue in ‘Pam Berry’, ‘Phantom Limb’ bursts forth. The driving, fuzz-bass intro belies the track’s pop sensibilities, which are unveiled when the rising vocal line and tremulant guitars enter. While a departure from the band’s previous work, it is still shameless in its pop aspirations and, with its catchy melody and “Oh oh oh” chorus, it is a safe and sensible, if not completely obvious selection for the album’s first single.

It is around this point that the album takes a turn and heads down a road that is certainly less travelled – at least by this band. Sampled drum beats and synthesised melodies do little more than distract in ‘Sea Legs’, taking the attention away from the inventive and unpredictable vocal melody. The song is interesting enough, but the band’s attempt at moving forward by revisiting the ‘80s doesn’t quite pay off.

‘Red Rabbits’ is a pretty, Beach Boys-esque melody set to a backdrop of acoustic guitar, bells and blips that wouldn’t have been out of place on Oh, Inverted World. Far from being a step backwards, though, it is definitely another sign the band is moving forward, into more experimental territory.

‘Turn On Me’ is a gem. Displaying the band’s gorgeous pop sensibilities (the line “Because you had to know that I was fond of you, fond of Y-O-U” is irresistible), it is another highlight.

Lyrically, Mercer is as strong as ever. His tantalising turn of phrase is evident throughout Wincing, cleverly blending a keen sense of the quirky with an obvious ear for poetry. If you have ever felt weighed down by the world, you’ll know exactly how he feels when, in ‘Australia’, Mercer sings: “You'd be damned to be one of us girl/ Faced with a dodo's conundrum/ I felt like I could just fly/ But nothing'll happen every time I try”.

The brooding ‘Black Wave’ misses the mark, taking too long to get going and not really ending up anywhere when it does. ‘Spilt Needles’, also struggles to hold attention as it lurches uncomfortably along on its off-beat drums, but is saved by its surprising change of pace and the alteration in vocal melody that comes with it.

Things get back on track with ‘Girl Sailor’, another piece of golden pop that showcases The Shins doing what they do best. And I guess that’s the whole point here – there’s a reason Chutes Too Narrow was much-loved, and there’s a reason that Wincing’s best moments are its pop moments. The Shins are a pop band, pure and simple – the often complex but always interesting melodies and instrumentation of their music do little to obscure the band’s fairly straightforward sensibilities. Too often on this album are those sensibilities ignored.

Evolution in music is a funny thing. Often bands can try too hard to evolve, forgetting that even in nature nothing actually tries to evolve. It just happens, and it is a way of improving, not just changing. Wincing The Night Away is a solid record, but while I don’t despise it, as Mercer says, I’m certainly not obliged to swallow all of it.